Praying….Following Jesus Together

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people."

— Revelation 5:8

I've prayed prayers that felt like they hit a ceiling and fell right back down. Sometimes it feels like I am speaking into a void, into silence, with no sense of where or if my prayer “landed”.. I know I'm not alone in that feeling. 

But this isn't what John saw in God’s revelation to Him. Not one prayer lost, not one word wasted or floating in  a void — every prayer of every believer collected into golden bowls, held before the throne itself, treasured enough to be described as incense rising in worship. My prayers, even the stumbling ones, even the ones that felt like they went nowhere, are apparently precious enough to be gathered and kept.

What if…the next time prayer feels like it's hitting a ceiling, I remember John's vision trusting that the golden bowl holds my prayer and is like incense to God. 

Prayer: Lord, thank You that not one prayer I've ever prayed has been lost, even when it felt that way. Where I feel silence, remind me of the golden bowl. Teach me to trust what You've shown to be true, instead of what I sometimes feel.

Let's do this together